DAY 6

The alarm goes off and I come awake with a start –today is the day for visiting the number one attraction of Namibia-the Sossussvlei dunes and I cant wait to get started. We dress quickly in the numbing cold putting on layers of clothes to keep ourselves warm. There is no time for breakfast and we carry our breakfast boxes out to Peter Torche to have it on the way. After all, we will need our energy to climb Dune 45, the most accessible of all the Dunes and so called because all the dunes in the Sossusvlei are numbered and it is the 45th in number. Early morning is the right time to climb it because later in the day, the heat and the footprints of the earlier climbers will make the ascent tough.

On the way, the rising sun plays peek-a-boo from behind the hills. Parts of the desert landscape are bathed in the wintry morning sunlight and the desert hosts – the springbok, the oryx etc are out grazing the grass and getting their water fix from the dew drops still clinging to the grass.

We reach the gates leading to the Sossussvlei Park before they are open but a couple of cars are already there. We sit in the truck impatiently waiting for the gates to open. Once inside, we speed towards Dune 45 which is 150 m high. It is hard work going up the dune but the promise of a fantastic view from the top keeps us going. By the time, I am two-thirds of the way up, I am completely out of breath. The ascent is not only tough but also slow since I kept admiring the changing landscape. The red colour of the sand is due to the rusting iron present in the sand grains.

As compared to going up, the descent is a cake-walk as we take the short-cut and slide down the wind-swept side of the dune. I have so much fun doing it that I want to do it all over again but the difficult ascent deters me.

The desert may appear barren but it supports a unique ecosystem as we learn later from Frances, our guide, who takes us for a walk in the desert and the dunes. He is a Nama and totally at home in the desert. He explains to us how the moisture carried by the fog and the bits of plant matter deposited by the wind nurture life in the desert. Though the surface temperatures may exceed 50 degrees centigrade but below, the sand particles allow air to circulate freely and provide a cool shelter. Beetles are aplenty in the dunes and the beetles known locally as toktokkie have an interesting way of deriving moisture for drinking-by condensing the fog on its body. What was particularly fascinating was the tunnel house of the large dancing spider. Frances found one such tunnel house and opened its door with a stick and started funneling sand into the tunnel. Within seconds the spider was there to shut the door!

We then pass the Crazy Dune-so called because it is an extremely tough dune to climb. At 388 metres, it is the highest dune in the Namib desert and hence the highest in the world. But there is no dearth of people attempting the ascent of the Crazy Dune.

The Dead Vlei with its cream floor and dead trees provides ample photographic opportunities.

After a very enriching session with Francis, our last stop for this eventful day is the Sesriem canyon, which is the smallest canyon in Namibia. After having seen the second largest canyon in the world, this is obviously not that breathtaking but the excitement and the danger factor comes in when Jojo our guide almost steps on a poisonous snake. But Jojo being seasoned with the ways of the desert hears the hissing sound just in time. We overnight at the Hammerstein.